More than 114000 customers lose power following rain, wind - The Bethel Citizen

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Children play on a tree limb that snapped at Pettingill School Park on College Street in Lewiston on Wednesday. Strong winds and rain swept across parts of the state, downing trees and cutting power. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

A tree limb lies on a downed power line at Orchard and Granite streets in Auburn on Wednesday morning after strong winds and rain swept across parts of the state. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

More than 114,000 customers were left without power Wednesday when a cold front swept across Maine, bringing winds gusts of up to 47 mph in Turner, 42 mph in Rangeley and 40 mph in Harrison.

Rainfall totals ranged from 1 to nearly 1.5 inches across western and central Maine.

As of 8:25 p.m., the number of outages statewide was down to 35,491, according to Central Maine Power’s website. Androscoggin County, which had 56,871 total outages reported, had 807 at mid-evening; Franklin County was down to 2,505 from a high of 23,455; and Oxford County was down to 208 from a high of 41,311. Cumberland County had the highest number of outages at 167,394. By mid-evening that number had dropped to 1,870.

The highest wind speeds in Androscoggin County were 47 mph in Turner, 41 mph in Lewiston, 38 mph in Poland, 37 mph in Livermore and 35 mph in Leeds, according to the National Weather Service Office in Gray. Franklin County recorded 42 mph in Rangeley and 33 mph in Farmington. For Oxford County, Fryeburg recorded the highest wind speed of 37 mph and Denmark second at 32 mph.

The highest recorded wind speed in the state was 56 mph atop the roof of Maine Medical Center, according to the NWS.

Auburn was hit especially hard in the storm, with outages numbering 3,700 at one point.

The Auburn Police Department issued a traffic alert at noon Wednesday, warning drivers that traffic lights were out at Elm and High streets, Main and Mill streets and South Main and Broad streets. Temporary signs were placed at each of the intersections, according to Auburn police.

In Lisbon, police responded to reports of trees falling at Bowdoinham and Ridge roads and at 10 Plummer St. Nobody was injured, according to dispatchers.

The rain and wind comes at a time when the vast majority of Maine remains in moderate or severe drought conditions, according to the National Weather Service’s Maine drought monitor.

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